| Girard City School District |
| Bylaws & Policies |
8330 - STUDENT RECORDS
In order to provide appropriate educational services and programming, the Board of Education must collect, retain and use information about individual students. Simultaneously, the Board recognizes the need to safeguard students’ privacy and restrict access to students’ personally identifiable information.
The Board is responsible for the records of all students who attend or have attended schools in this District. Only records mandated by the State or Federal government and/or necessary and relevant to the function of the School District or specifically permitted by this Board will be compiled by Board employees.
In all cases, permitted, narrative information in student records shall be objectively-based on the personal observation or knowledge of the originator.
Student records shall be available only to students and their parents, eligible students, designated school officials and designated school personnel, who have a legitimate educational interest in the information, or to other individuals or organizations as permitted by law. The term "parents" includes legal guardians or other persons standing in loco parentis (such as a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, or a person who is legally responsible for the welfare of the child). The term "eligible student" refers to a student who is eighteen (18) years of age or older, or a student of any age who is enrolled in a postsecondary institution.
Both parents shall have equal access to student records unless stipulated otherwise by court order or law. In the case of eligible students, parents may be allowed access to the records without the student's consent, provided the student is considered a dependent under section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code.
A school official is a person employed by the Board as an administrator, supervisor, teacher/instructor (including substitutes), or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the Board; a person or company with whom the Board has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his/her tasks (including volunteers).
"Legitimate educational interest" is defined as a "direct or delegated responsibility for helping the student achieve one (1) or more of the educational goals of the District" or if the record is necessary in order for the school official to perform an administrative, supervisory, or instructional task or to perform a service or benefit for the student or the student’s family.
The Board authorizes the administration to:
| A. | forward student records, including disciplinary records with respect to any current suspension and expulsion, upon request to a private or public school or school district in which a student of this District, is enrolled, seeks or intends to enroll, or is instructed to enroll, on a full-time or part-time basis, upon condition that a reasonable attempt is made to notify the student’s parents of the transfer, of their right to receive a copy of the record if desired, and of their right to have a hearing to challenge the content of the record; | |
| B. | provide "personally-identifiable" information to appropriate parties in connection with an emergency if such knowledge is necessary to protect the health and safety of the student or other individuals; | |
| C. | report a crime committed by a child with a disability to appropriate authorities and to transmit copies of the student’s special education and disciplinary records to the authorities for their consideration; | |
| D. | request each person or party requesting access to a student's record to abide by Federal regulations and State laws concerning the disclosure of information. |
The Board will comply with a legitimate request for access to a student's records within a reasonable period of time but not more than forty-five (45) days after receiving the request. Upon the request of the viewer, a record shall be reproduced, unless said record is copyrighted, or otherwise restricted, and the viewer may be charged a fee equivalent to the cost of handling and reproduction. Based upon reasonable requests, viewers of educational records will receive explanation and interpretation of the records.
The Board shall maintain a record of each request for access and each disclosure of personally identifiable information. Such disclosure records will indicate the student, person viewing the record, their legitimate interest in the information, information disclosed, date of disclosure, and date parental/eligible student consent was obtained.
Only "directory information" regarding a student shall be released to any person or party, other than the student or his/her parent, without the written consent of the parent; or, if the student is an eligible student, without the written consent of the student, except to those persons or parties stipulated by the Board’s policy and administrative guidelines and/or those specified in the law.
DIRECTORY INFORMATION
Each year the Superintendent shall provide public notice to students and their parents of its intent to make available, upon request, certain information known as "directory information." The Board designates as student "directory information": a student's name; participation in officially-recognized activities and sports; height and weight, if a member of an athletic team; date of graduation; or awards received.
Directory information shall not be provided to any organization for profit-making purposes.
Parents and eligible students may refuse to allow the Board to disclose any or all of such "directory information" upon written notification to the Board within ten (10) days after receipt of the Superintendent’s annual public notice.
In accordance with Federal and State law, the Board shall release the names, addresses, and telephone listings of secondary students to a recruiting officer for any branch of the United States Armed Forces or an institution of higher education who requests such information. A secondary school student or parent of the student may request in writing that the student’s name, address, and telephone listing not be released without prior consent of the parent(s)/eligible student. The recruiting officer is to sign a form indicating that "any information received by the recruiting officer shall be used solely for the purpose of informing students about military service and shall not be released to any person other than individuals within the recruiting services of the Armed Forces". The Superintendent is authorized to charge mailing fees for providing this information to a recruiting officer.
Whenever consent of the parent(s)/eligible student is required for the inspection and/or release of a student's health or educational records or for the release of "directory information", either parent may provide such consent unless agreed to otherwise in writing by both parents or specifically stated by court order. If the student is under the guardianship of an institution, the Superintendent shall appoint a person who has no conflicting interest to provide such written consent.
The Board may disclose "directory information" on former students without student or parental consent.
The Board shall not permit the collection, disclosure, or use of personal information collected from students for the purpose of marketing or for selling that information (or otherwise providing that information to others for that purpose).
INSPECTION OF INFORMATION COLLECTION INSTRUMENT
The parent of a student or an eligible student has the right to inspect upon request any instrument used in the collection of personal information before the instrument is administered or distributed to a student. Personal information for this section is defined as individually identifiable information including a student or parent's first and last name, a home or other physical address (including street name and the name of the city or town), a telephone number, or a Social Security identification number. In order to review the instrument, the parent or eligible student must submit a written request to the building principal at least five (5) business days before the scheduled date of the activity. The instrument will be provided to the parent or eligible student within three (3) business days of the principal receiving the request.
The Superintendent shall directly notify the parent(s) of a student and eligible students, at least annually at the beginning of the school year, of the specific or approximate dates during the school year when such activities are scheduled or expected to be scheduled.
This section does not apply to the collection, disclosure, or use of limited personal information collected from students for the exclusive purpose of developing, evaluating, or providing educational products or services for, or to, students or educational institutions, such as the following:
| A. | college or other postsecondary education recruitment, or military recruitment | |
| B. | tests and assessments used by elementary and secondary schools to provide cognitive, evaluative, diagnostic, clinical, aptitude, or achievement information about students (or to generate other statistically useful data for the purpose of securing such tests and assessments) and the subsequent analysis and public release of the aggregate data from such tests and assessments | |
| C. | student recognition programs |
The Superintendent is directed to prepare administrative guidelines so that students and parents are adequately informed each year regarding their rights to:
| A. | inspect and review the student's educational records; | |
| B. | request amendments if the parent believes the record is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the student's privacy rights; | |
| C. | consent to disclosures of personally-identifiable information contained in the student's educational records, except to those disclosures allowed by the law; | |
| D. | challenge Board noncompliance with a parent's request to amend the records through a hearing; | |
| E. | file a complaint with the Department of Education; | |
| F. | obtain a copy of the Board’s policy and administrative guidelines on student records. |
The Superintendent shall also develop procedural guidelines for:
| A. | the proper storage and retention of records including a list of the type and location of record; | |
| B. | informing Board employees of the Federal and State laws concerning student records. |
The Board authorizes the use of the microfilm process or electromagnetic processes of reproduction for the recording, filing, maintaining, and preserving of records.
No liability shall attach to any member, officer, or employee of this Board as a consequence of permitting access or furnishing student records in accordance with this policy and regulations.
R.C. 9.01, 149.41, 149.43, 1347 et seq., 3113.33, 3319.321
34 C.F.R. Part 99
20 U.S.C., Section 1232 f through 1232i (FERPA)
26 U.S.C. 152
20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq., Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
20 U.S.C. 7908
Revised 9/25/02
Revised 5/12/04
Revised 11/16/05
Revised 6/28/06
Revised 3/19/08